Izukuwu 🥺:

Hi ( ° ∀ ° )ﾉﾞ

(Y/n):

Heyヾ(・ω・*)

Izukuwu 🥺:

I didn't get to ask you how you're doing today

Izukuwu 🥺:

Did you sleep okay?

(Y/n):

Yeah. I did. All thanks to you

(Y/n):

I didn't think of her much...

Izukuwu 🥺:

That's great! Progress! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

Izukuwu 🥺:

And breakfast? Did you eat enough?

(Y/n):

Yeap (¬‿¬)

Izukuwu 🥺:

Did you get home already?

(Y/n):

No. We're actually just about to board the train. It has arrived

Izukuwu 🥺:

Okay. Kacchan's not causing you any more trouble, is he? (;'・')>

(Y/n):

We haven't spoken since we left school so it's coo

(Y/n):

*cool

Izukuwu 🥺 is typing...

Izukuwu 🥺 is typing...

Izukuwu 🥺:

Hey, listen

Izukuwu 🥺:

Don't be afraid to call me anytime you need me, okay? (^^ゞ

(Y/n) is typing...

(Y/n) is typing...

(Y/n) is typing...

(Y/n) is typing...

(Y/n) is typing...

(Y/n) is typing...

(Y/n) is typing...

(Y/n):

(„ಡωಡ„) okay

***

(Y/n) slid off her bag as she took a seat next to Katsuki. She placed the bag on her lap and briefly looked around. By choosing to head out a little bit later, they had managed to dodge the rush hour thus their car was not crowded. Students from other schools, salarymen, and ordinary citizens going about their lives occupied the silent car, with a few choosing to stand by the doors while the others sat.

(Y/n)'s gaze flicked to the doors while she waited for them to close. A soft melody could be heard playing from outside, signaling the departure of their train.

Katsuki threw back the last of his soda and set the empty can down on the space next to his bag. He noticed (Y/n)'s absent stare from the corner of his eye and he turned to her. He followed her line of sight to the open doors.

He contemplated minding his own business instead as he had been doing but curiosity gnawed on him the longer she stared at the doors.

He trained a strangled look on his lap before he found himself speaking up.

"What."

"Huh?" she turned away from the doors and met his eyes. "Oh, uh..." brows drawing together, she shook her head. "Nothing."

She looked back at the doors just in time to see them closing. Katsuki's eyes flickered back and forth between her and the doors, confusion and intrigue burning bright in them. He heard her loudly exhale and he looked back at her. Their eyes locked once again but (Y/n) broke it off to face forward.

The train had already begun making its departure from the station. Only four stops from there and they'll be in Musutafu.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as her face hardened in thought. It wasn't a particularly long ride and (Y/n) was hoping that they'd go without talking like they did all the way from school to the station.

...Then again, maybe explaining wouldn't hurt.

(Y/n) blew out her cheeks and looked back at him.

"Okay," she said, keeping her voice low to avoid disturbing other passengers. "Last night I watched a movie and it was about zombies and trains," she gestured the doors with a nod. "I keep looking at them and expecting one to stray in without the station master noticing."

Scoffing, Katsuki shoved his hands in his pockets and slid down in his seat, his legs spreading apart. "Watched that one."

(Y/n) glanced down when his knee bumped against hers. "You have?"

"Damn right," he tipped his head back to lean against the window and closed his eyes. "Four times."

Her lips parted in a small smile as her head cocked to the side.

"Rea-" she started to say but caught herself before her excitement got the best of her. She reminded herself of who she was talking to and she cleared her throat, her eyes darting to the side as she frowned. "I-I mean, yeah, it's a-it's a great movie. Nice acting."

Inwardly cringing at her stupidity, she looked down at her lap and pursed her lips. So much for 'avoiding too much interaction'. What the fuck was she thinking? Getting excited like some little kid and nearly losing her cool like that. Was she really that forgetful?

She sighed.

But it's not like she could've helped it...No one else would watch that movie with her because they either deemed it too scary or bloody for their tastes. Even Shouto said it sounded quite uninteresting, which was disappointing to hear as she loved it to bits.

(Y/n) tensed up when she felt Katsuki's knee press up against hers again and her furrowed gaze snapped down to his leg. He kept swaying his legs in an open and close motion and every time he'd 'open', his knee would graze against hers in an almost intentional way. A thrilling shiver coursed over her when it happened again and she found her eyes slowly straying, wandering. Wandering up his knee, up his thigh...

Realizing where her eyes were dangerously heading, she quickly looked away to focus on a spot on the ground while her face burned in shame. Mentally cursing out the multiple flops that her stomach made, she adjusted her bag over her lap and crossed her legs.

Katsuki, having felt her warmth move away from his leg, opened his eyes and he lowered his head. He regarded her for a few seconds, observing how she played around with her bag's straps, curling and uncurling them around her fingers.

He cast his conflicted gaze to the side and rubbed the back of his head.

"Okay. Listen, bro. If at any point you find yourself wanting to talk to her and you don't know what to talk about, ask questions. Specifically about her interests. Keep her engaged. Show her that you're interested in her life. Don't let everything be about you, bro."

His brows knitted. Of all the times he had to remember those words...

Hours before their exercise back in Isami, his four idiots had spent the whole of lunch period talking his ear off, giving him various tips on how to 'talk to (Y/n) like a gentleman' and preparing him for the apology he was supposed to give. He thought it was fucking stupid, even more considering that those so-called tips came from online dating blogs written by delusional beta cucks.

Those tips nonetheless, ended up going down the drain after Satori got into his head and fucked everything up. Meaning that he had wasted a whole hour of his life losing precious brain cells for nothing.

He still had a personal bone to pick with the bitch because of that.

He sent the girl beside him another sidelong glance and his heart rate started to pick up as a jittery feeling nipped at his damp fingers. He ran his eyes over the side of her face before glancing away, his lips turning down in a lopsided grimace.

Maybe he should put in some effort and give some of those dumb tips a try.

Yeah, it was fucking embarrassing and even thinking about following those cringy tips made him want to fling himself out the window and under the train...But, if they guaranteed to help him take a step forward with (Y/n), a thing that he's never managed to do by himself for nearly two years, then it was worth the shot.

However, if they backfired in his face, then he'd know for certain whose kneecaps to break.

"You..." he hesitantly began, the words feeling strange and heavy on his tongue. He wiped his palms on the inside of his pockets before starting over. "You liked it that much?"

"Hm?" she perked up, surprise flashing across her face for a split second before it disappeared. "Oh, uh," she quickly nodded. "Mhm. Yeah."

(Y/n) returned her gaze down to her lap and Katsuki's scowl deepened, his vindictive glare trailing to the floor.

Dammit, Kirishima...

"It was some gnarly shit though. You know, heads getting bashed in and stuff."

His wide eyes darted back to hers and his heart did a flip at the sight of a ghost wry smile playing on her lips.

(Y/n) cleared her throat and looked away from him.

"I mean, uh..." she continued, despite her mind's desperate screams telling her to shut up, "it's all acting but there's this weird buzz you get from seeing well-deserved violence and, um, hurt..." her mouth curved up in a faint smirk. "It makes you want more of that feeling. That justification..." she turned back to him and her smirk faded when she met his intense stare. "What?"

"Has anyone ever told you that your face doesn't match your personality?" he scoffed. "You seem quiet and shit until you open your mouth."

She arched a puzzled brow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Body language is important. Don't close yourself off. Girls don't like that. Personally, I don't so, open up and be confident. Show her you're available and comfortable with the conversation. You'll be surprised at how our brains are more responsive to certain signals than it is to what you say to us. So curse away like a sailor but don't forget the signals, okay?"

Willing to test and see if the next tip would work too, Katsuki crossed his ankle over his knee and draped his arms over the back of the seat. He stared ahead into the distance, keeping his expression in check to portray a picture of nonchalance.

"You're fucked in the head, that's what," he said offhandedly.

"You're one to talk," (Y/n)'s lips set in a pout as she leaned back in the seat. Katsuki felt the back of her head brush against his arm and his gut tightened. "You're pretty much the definition of fucked, if anything..."

Katsuki didn't reply and (Y/n) went silent.

He lightly jiggled the suspended foot as he mentally counted off the seconds that passed. He still couldn't comprehend how and why the fuck those tips had managed to work but he didn't have time to stop and ask questions. He had to move on to the next tip.

"Allow the silence. If you've already established a good conversation between you two and you go silent at any point, trust me, she'll revive it. Girls are not that complicated, man. You just have to know how to work them. What is it called again? Reverse physiology? I don't know. Just shut up and she'll be forced to say something to break the awkward silence."

(Y/n) bit her lip and wrapped her arms around her bag, pulling it closer to her palpitating chest. She threw a look around the train before sneaking a glance at the side of Katsuki's face. Her leg started bouncing as she pressed her tongue on the inside of her cheek.

Don't talk to him. Don't talk to him. Don't talk to him. Don't talk to him. Don't talk to hi-

"So..." Fuck it. I'm dumb. Deal with it. "I, uh...I didn't think you watched movies..." she turned to him. He was already looking at her. "You don't look like the type."

If it was even remotely possible to convert Katsuki's excitement at that moment into electricity, all of it would've been enough to power a whole damn city.

"Ah?" he lifted his chin. "You think you know shit about me?"

She scoffed a short laugh. "I could say the same about you."

"Tch."

"Oh, wait. No, no," she held up a finger. "I do know some obvious things about you, though."

"And the most important tip of them all, listen to her. Show her that you're interested in what she has to say. Maintain eye contact with her and don't interrupt. I know that girls talk a lot and sometimes you can lose track of what they're saying but if you do, don't show it. Fake it till you make it."

With regard to that tip, Katsuki stayed silent and held her gaze to appear intrigued by her input.

It worked like a fucking charm.

(Y/n) uncrossed her legs and adjusted her sitting position, so that her knees were facing him as she leaned her shoulder against the seat.

"Okay. You're sixteen and your birthday is April twentieth," she started as she counted off her fingers. "You like winning, hiking, spicy food..." she shot him a finger gun, "Curry, I'm guessing..." the corner of her mouth twitched when Katsuki didn't comment, meaning she was right. "Your favorite color is black, not sure though. Your hair droops when it's wet..." she rose a brow as she grinned, "right?"

Huffing, Katsuki averted his eyes from her, his cheeks sporting a rosy color.

"Lucky guess," he muttered.

(Y/n) hummed as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Nah. I'm spot on."

When they made eye contact once more, her confidence grew and she decided to push her boundaries a little bit.

"Okay, here's more," she licked her lips before continuing, "You like making fun of nerds when you, yourself are a nerd who gets good grades, sleeps early, idolizes All Might on the down-low and is a total gym rat," on seeing his sudden scowl, she tilted her head. "What? You know I got ninety percent of those things right, Bakugou," mischief glinted in her eyes for a second and she smirked. "Or should I say, Mr. Avocado Toast."

"Wha-" Katsuki's eyes widened, a deep flush coating his cheeks a rich velvet tint. "That was only once! And it was Shitty Hair who dared me to do it! I had to!"

A female passenger sitting across from them shushed him and Katsuki whipped his head to dagger her with a glare.

"Buzz off, hag!" he barked.

The woman, together with the people sitting next to her, collectively gasped as they gawked at him. Their shock went unacknowledged however, when Katsuki unabashedly turned back to (Y/n), his pupils flared and teeth bared.

(Y/n), unfazed by his outburst, simply brushed it off as him being embarrassed and continued taunting him.

"Come on, now. Don't get your panties in a twist. Here, let me guess," clearing her throat, she adjusted her voice to fit a polished, elegant accent. "Today after your morning jog and meditation, you had strawberry oatmeal mixed with whey protein and a side of deviled eggs. And then you decided to have a soda later on because your sugar levels were dwindling."

Katsuki's trembling fists tightened and a small growl poured out from between his gritted teeth.

(Y/n) snorted and pressed her fingers against her lips, immediately breaking character.

"I'm kinda glad though," she said as she playfully sized him up. "At least now I know the secret to how you're able to maintain your hourglass figure."

A rigid cord popped on Katsuki's temple.

"You're having real fun, huh? Talking shit?"

(Y/n)'s eyes fell on his face and her smile dissipated in an instant. She felt like a bucket of ice water had just been tipped over her, waking her up from what had seemed to be an alternate reality where she was freely talking to Katsuki, and plunging her back into her own bleak one.

Her reality's Katsuki sat at the same spot the other one did, next to her, but instead of the welcoming, neutral expression she was looking at a few minutes before, this one held an expression that was dark and dangerous.

Katsuki glowered back at her, a shadow cast over narrowed eyes by his bangs as a hateful scowl marred his face, directing all its intensity towards the girl.

Pursing her lips, (Y/n) slowly straightened up in her seat. She opened her mouth to say something but Katsuki beat her to it.

"Keep opening up that big ass mouth of yours and I'll shove that bag so far down your throat, you'll really have something to laugh about."

(Y/n)'s eyes widened.

The sound of an empty can clattering on the ground followed after, piercing through the thick silence (Y/n) had spent gaping at Katsuki.

"What?" she finally managed to say. Her forehead creased as she glanced around to gain some semblance of what was happening. "Chill...It was just a joke."

Katsuki scoffed and returned his hands into his pockets. "Your fucking face is a joke. Fuck me, I bet my left nut you've broken at least ten mirrors with that stupid mug of yours."

"Wha-" (Y/n)'s nose wrinkled. "I said it was a joke. You don't need to go too far."

"Too far? I'll show you too far. Talk shit again about me and I'll give you free plastic surgery with my fists. Maybe I'll start by knocking your two front teeth into your asshole," he cocked his head, his lip tugging up in a condescending sneer. "Is that too far for you now, shitty girl? Hell, it would probably be an improvement considering I'll be doing all future mirrors a fucking favor."

Her eyebrows rose as she peered back at him in disbelief. Hot bile churned in her stomach, a mocking reminder that she had brought it upon herself by letting her guard down and stupidly engaging him in a conversation that should never have happened in the first place.

Nodding to herself, she ran her tongue over her teeth and looked down at her lap. She scoffed.

Exhibit A of the reason why she should stay away from him. God, he's such an asshole.

Bitterly frowning, she fixed him with a stony glare. He reciprocated it tenfold.

"Why do you always have to make it so difficult for anyone to have a decent conversation with you?" she asked, her voice tight.

"Ha?" he reiterated harshly. "For your information, you fucking moron, I didn't ask for you to talk to me."

(Y/n) felt a jolt of anger strike through her.

"You-!" she pointed at him, almost screaming. "You're the one who started talking to me! Why do you always pin things on me when you're the one who-!"

"Shhhhh!"

Her head snapped to the people seating across from them. The female from earlier, teamed up this time with a middle-aged man, both glared at her while holding up their fingers to their lips. A couple seating on the chair next to theirs also gave her the dirty eye, silently expressing their displeasure on how she had interrupted their conversation.

(Y/n)'s face scrunched up and released as she tried to regain back her composure and calm. She pressed a fist to her mouth and took in a deep breath. When she started to calm down, she put her hands together and sent them a quick bow. Satisfied with her apology, the passengers turned back to their devices and (Y/n) heaved out a sigh, her shoulders sagging.

She ran a hand through her hair and looked back at Katsuki. He met her icy stare with his famous scowl at the ready, his back hunched forward and his hands in his pockets.

"With all due respect," she said, "intercourse yourself."

He rose a brow. "Ha?"

"Fuck you," she spat.

Katsuki's eyes widened as she looked him up and down. She then shook her head before wearing her hood over her head. She shifted away from him, turning her back fully to him to spend the remainder of the ride home sulking while ignoring him, like she should've done in the first fucking place.

Loudly scoffing, Katsuki's lips twisted into an angry pout as he glared to the side.

As usual, he just had to fuck things up.

But could you blame him? She had never joked with him before as all their conversations had always been nothing but insults and sarcastic quips from each side. When she started pointing out some of the traits he felt insecure about, the response to defend his bruised ego was immediate. He had previously interpreted that she had gone back to insulting him and he couldn't help but lash back with insults of his own as that was the norm for them. That was their conversation.

But jokes? No way in hell.

Even so, the harm was already done. Even after she had specifically told him that she was joking, twice, he continued insulting her and thus ultimately flinging him back to square one.

All because of a fucking joke.

The guilt he had been feeling since back at the simulation room had started to creep into his insides and he felt like exploding something. And it's not like he didn't know what had to be done. He did. He knew exactly what he had to say to her during such a situation, he knew what those two words were.

But simple as they were to any random person, to Katsuki, those words burned the tip of his tongue because they didn't belong in his vocabulary. He didn't know how to word them, fuck, he didn't want to word them.

Eight out of ten of the times, Katsuki never said shit that he didn't want to. He'd rather let the person fuck off than lower himself to their level by grovelling. And honestly, he couldn't give two fucks whether his lack of thereof bothered them or not. That's their problem, not his.

But in this special type of situation involving a special type of person, he knew that he had to say those words.

And that's where the issue came in; he knew he was wrong but he just couldn't admit it.

His pride wouldn't let him.

"Listen, man, If you really want her and you're committed to getting her, then you gotta work around that pride of yours. There's no other way."

Katsuki's brow twitched.

Fuckin' Shitty Hair. Give me a fucking break.

He stole a furtive glance at (Y/n)'s back and he clenched his jaw as that familiar burn in his chest ignited once more. Clicking his tongue, he returned his glare down at his lap.

I told you. It's not that fucking simple...

***